How to draw a fish clip art

Learn how to create a simple fish clip art and then experiment various textures using simple shapes and lines. Fish are the easiest animals to illustrate. Simply sketch a circle, a triangle and a dot and you are done! No need to draw complex shapes to end up with a recognizable cartoon fish.

In this lesson, I will show you how to draw a cute version of this aquatic creature as well as providing simple tips to create gorgeous textures using only a few shapes and lines. Before working on this character, let's take a closer look at this one using the image found above.

A large fin is added on the back of the fish.

Textures can be drawn on the body of the animal.

Don't forget to sketch a large back fin!

Smaller fins are visible below the body.

The mouth is only made from a small curved line.

The tip of the mouth is sharp and pointed.

Eyes are done using large circles. Pupils are made from small dots.

The head is filled with a different color.

Cool! Simple, isn't it? Now let's draw the character using a basic step-by-step tutorial ...

Step 1 - just a few guidelines to help us draw

First, it's always a good idea to sketch a few basic elements to help us work on the character. In this case, a large square is used to illustrate the head and the body of the fish.

The tail is made from two irregular triangles. Great! That's all we need for now!

step 2 - some curved lines to draw the animal

Using mostly long curved lines with pointed ends, you can now sketch the head and body as shown in the illustration below. Don't forget the mouth, which is made from a simple line. Finally, you can create the tail using more curved lines.

step 3 - more body parts to complete the fish

Inside this fish clip art, add the eye and the pupil using small circles. On top of the character, create a large fin using a triangle made from curved lines. Use the same recipe to represent both smaller fins found on the bottom of the creature.

step 4 - adding texture on the body

You can start this step by drawing a long curved line on the right of the eye to separate the body from the head. Then, you can use several (small) curved lines to apply texture on the body of the fish clip art. Excellent! It's now time to add some colors!

step 5 - black and white is not appealing enough!

For this tutorial, I have selected a nice yellow color for the head of the animal. The body and the fins are filled with a saturated blue color. The pupil is also blue while the eye is white. Finally, lines to create the texture on the body are filled with a dark blue color.

A nice fish clip art done in five easy steps

You can see all five steps needed to create this beautiful cartoon fish below. Now that you know how to draw this fish easily, let's dedicate the second part of this tutorial to creating great texture on the character's body.

More lines can be better

In this first example, the fish clip art is filled with the same texture created earlier. The main difference is the fact that more lines were added inside the body of the character. The result is visually more appealing and slightly more complex to read.

Straight lines instead of curved ones

Another great option to create fun texture on the body of the animal is using a bunch of diagonal lines. This texture is definitely more visible and easier to achieved. A very good alternative.

Dark circular shapes for a whole new result

This other option is also interesting. Instead of sketching small curved lines, large circles filled with dark colors were applied on the body using a little bit of transparency. It's not as convincing as the previous examples, but it's a nice try.

small lines to create something more subtle

This fourth fish clip art is filled with several short lines that are not touching each other. The effect is smooth and definitely not as visible as the other examples. I like it, but it's certainly not my first choice.

broken lines for a broken result

When trying different approaches, it is possible to fail using a technique not appropriated for the character you are working with. That's exactly the case here. It's not completely irrelevant, but the result is not as convincing as it should be.

Have fun trying more textures!

Drawing a fish clip art can be a fun experience. Working with various textures is a good idea if you want to end up with the most appealing one. Feel free to try anything you have in mind. Some weird patterns can provide new ideas that will lead to beautiful effects you never thought possible. :)